The Process of Repentance

This is one of the original sets of seven that I found several years ago. It is one of the fundamental sets that is very accurate to the seven structure. I originally saw it in Alma 36. Then I saw it in a Sunday School lesson that I taught, in the additional teachings section; this was taken from a conference talk by Richard G Scott called Finding Forgiveness, which takes from the book Miracle of Forgiveness by Spenser W Kimball.

The full process of repentance

1 Recognition of sin
2 Sorrow for sin
3 Abandonment of sin
4 Confession of sin
5 Restitution for sin
6 Obedience to all the commandments
7 Forgiveness for sin

Recognition of sin - We will not choose to change if we do not know that we have sinned. Alma was brought to recognize his sin by an angel. We need to actively repent, and in order to do this, we need to study the words of the prophets and seek the inspiration of the spirit to learn how we need to improve. We can seek it out or be brought to recognize our sin but ultimately we will all recognize our sins.

Sorrow for sin - We need to regret that we have sinned. This is the state that Alma lay in for three days. The sorrow that leads to correction and change is a Godly sorrow. The degree of sorrow and regret that we feel by pain of body and spirit will relate to the severity of the sin. There is a sorrow that does not lead to action, this is the sorrowing of the damned. This sorrow comes when people either do not know God or have rejected Him.

Abandonment of sin - We must stop committing the sin, this is required by God. Alma's mind, after three days, was drawn to the prophesies of his father and was no longer focused on the sins, but rather on how to remove himself from the sins. His nature was changing so he no longer desired to commit the sin and this was to prevent the pains of hell. No unclean thing can dwell with God, our natures must change and become clean. We must make goals to change, and then change. This takes discipline. It is easy to continue sinning especially after starting. We need to learn to control ourselves and our natures. God wants us to be able to master this body and everything associated with it. If we give in to sin we allow sin to control us and in this state we can never return to live with God.

Confession of sin - We must always confess our sin, always, regardless of the severity. Alma confessed that he was "encircled about by the everlasting chains of death." We must regularly speak with God through prayer. We are accountable to Him in all that we think and do. We receive answers through the spirit. He can give us strength to overcome. He brings the atonement of Christ into our lives, the enabling grace which enables and empowers us. It is through Him that we have hope. He sees everything we do and desires us to come to Him in humility of soul and discuss with Him what needs to be done to complete the process of repentance and again stand approved before Him. When someone has committed a sin that is too great, the spirit cannot remain with the person in any degree to convey the Lord's answer to our prayer or enact the atoning sacrifice in our lives. When this has happened we must go to His appointed servants to whom He has given authority to stand in his place and act as a mediator between us and Him. They can help us take the necessary steps for repentance.

Restitution for sin - We must restore all of the damage caused by our sin. Alma "manifest[ed] unto the people that [he] had been born of God." The law of restitution is a very comprehensive law. Alma later referred to a plan of restoration; the restitution required for repentance is directly connected to this plan of restoration. In many cases we cannot repair all of the damage caused by our sin; in this situation we need the help of God. He is capable of righting every wrong. Depending on our repentance we will "be restored unto grace for grace, according to [our] works." We must show mercy to receive mercy. Our forgiving is a required part of repentance process; forgiving ourselves as well as others and seeking forgiveness from others. We cannot expect to receive grace, mercy and forgiveness if we do not do the same; this is according to the plan of restoration.

Obedience to all the commandments - We must fill our lives with that which is good and follow Christ's example. This was demonstrated by Alma because he "labored without ceasing, [to] bring souls unto repentance." We are commanded to bear testimony to be forgiven of our sins. Once we have removed a sin from our lives we need to replace it with something good or it will be filled with an evil worse than the first. We are sinners so long as we are not in complete adherence to God's laws. He has commanded us "be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." And there is no commandment that He has given that we cannot accomplish. Elder Scott stated "full obedience brings the complete power of the gospel into your life." The Lord said "he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven."

Forgiveness for sin - When we are forgiven of our sins we receive joy from the Lord. Alma experienced this joy immediately upon confessing. We have no control over our forgiveness. We can do all of the preceding steps but if God does not forgive us, we fall short of complete repentance. When God with His infinite grace and mercy chooses to forgive us we are filled with joy. We must recognize the Savior in all things regarding our ability to repent; without Him we would not be able to repent. We would be deprived of any further association with our Father in Heaven to dwell eternally in hell. But this is not His plan for us. He wants all of His children to return to live with Him. His whole purpose for all of His children is to become immortal as Himself and receive eternal life to dwell with Him forever. This He made possible through His son Jesus Christ, to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude.